Event: Creatives explore the theme NOT NORMAL in a special Nicer Tuesdays with MINI

Last night we hosted a very special Nicer Tuesdays event in collaboration with MINI, based around the theme NOT NORMAL as part of the brand’s current campaign which celebrates leftfield creativity. We bout together four speakers whose practices and processes represent the best of unusual and unexpected creative thinking.

First to take the stage was animator and director David Wilson who explained that when he wants to get into a creative mindset he goes and sits on the stairs in his flat, knowing that if he is uncomfortable he is far less likely to procrastinate. He treated us to a fascinating look at his treatments for music videos for the likes of Metronomy and The Arctic Monkeys, with his own commentary, drawings and sometimes even acting helping his ideas come together.

David was followed by photographer Jane Stockdale who used her projects to explore how immersing herself in completely alien environments from Beirut to LA brings out the best in her work. She also explained how her recent MA in International Relations at Cambridge University has widened her world-view and how post-lecture pub discussions have fuelled her creative aspirations and ambitions.

After a short break artist Kate MccGwire took to the stage to give us an insight into her astonishing work. She explained why she is so drawn to the natural world, how she works and (sometimes sleeps) on a barge in the Thames and she revealed her network of feather-correspondents who send her both much-valued materials as well as insights into their lives.

Rounding off the evening were Wiliam Trossell and Matthew Shaw of ScanLAB Projects. They took us on whistelstop tour os one of their pioneering 3D dataset scans, from the Science Museum to the Arctic ice. The duo also gave us an insight into where they are keen to push their practice with plans afoot involving live performance and the like.

After their talk, Matt and Will gave us some more insight into the Mini they had customised as part of the event. They had looked through their archive and pulled out some of the first experiments they ever undertook with a high-tech scanner, setting it up in a white room and then trying various tricks to confuse and distract it. They felt the work offered a “splattering of their creative consciousness” and summed up the evening neatly, explaining how important it is to be not normal; to make mistakes and push boundaries as part of the creative process.

A huge thanks to all our speakers, to everyone who came along and to MINI for collaborating with us on such an interesting project!